A Freak's Reality
by Halisuhtem
Summary: My first horrid attempt at a story. Sorry it's not very good so don't get your expectations up much. Didn't really know what to rate it either. *Re-done for corrections. Sorry it took so long, but I didn't have time from school*
1. A Nightmare's First Thought

The entire group was busy sitting around the rec room, inside the Xavier mansion where he trained and schooled the young men and women he could find, born with the unfortunate circumstances of a mutation within their own DNA. Unable to control the fact of their human alteration, they become scapegoats and the unwanted to human society for merely being who they are, without having any choice in the matter. It was only the point of their own birth which declared these people mutants and forced them to a life of suffering from their own human brothers, that look down upon them because of merely one small defect in the own body's chemistry.  
  
All the members living within Professor Xavier's institute had gathered around the television for a night of fun and relaxation, watching a rented movie to try and keep their minds for once off of being whom they are... mutants, completely outcasted by society. However the movie was perhaps the last thing that they were paying attention to as opposed to each other. It all started with a simple scuffle over popcorn between Rogge and Scott that happened to turn into an all out war. When Scott happened to finally rip the popcorn free from Rogue's grip, it didn't take long for Jean to take from his palms, lifting the bowl high into the air through her telekinesis powers. As the bowl lowered to her hands Kitty appeared from the couch behind her and phased through it to snatch the bowl from Jean's hands. "Ha ha! Looks like I'm the winner this time," Kitty laughed triumphantly, displaying the bowl to signify her victory.  
  
"Not so fast zere Kitty," Kurt shouted, "zese game is not over!" Kitty began to turn and run quickly, however in a poof of purple smoke she knew that the German had instantly caught up to him. Thinking the smarter she instantly turned to run the opposite direction only to bump into... Kurt!  
  
"Hey! That's not fair!" Kitty complained as she fell to the ground, "how did you do that!"  
  
"Simple my dear Keety," Kurt spoke with a little sneer as he tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth, "double teleportation. Just do it velly quick."   
  
Kitty just shook her fist and pouted on the ground, "Just you wait Kurt Wagner, I'll get you for this!" The rest of the group laughed as Kurt just popped another kernel into his mouth with a grin, then tossed another single kernel to Kitty still on the ground. "Always have to be the prankster don't you?" Kitty pouted again, looking at the kernel on the ground as an insult.  
  
Kurt just took a bow and smiled again, "I thank thee for the kind wordz madam, but I'd prefer the term master if you will." This brought out another laugh from the group as Kurt tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth and returned to glaze at the movie.   
  
They were just like humans, just simply humans, with one small defect that forced them into a life of hardships, to each their own. Even the king prankster, to a life left clinging to a holographic imager, guiesed as a watch, to cover over his blue and furry demonic feature. Even now he wore the watch to hide his traditional appearance even during his own time with the people who knew his secret. They were normal humans with the exception of the simple defect that they were born with.  
  
*****  
  
Days come and days go and so it does with the mutants at the school. Another of the odd mutants at the school was that of Rogue. Her cursed birth, that of not being able to touch anyone, without stealing their thoughts or abilities while leaving the poor victims to lie uncontinous while their energy levels were transferred to Rogue. This was an unfortunate case where she had come into contact by accident with one of the other mutants that inhabited the school. Freddy, or the Blob as he was otherwise known as, had been bugging her and shoved her, thinking himself all large and in control. The rest of the details were blurring to her, but she remembered retaliating, and then next thing she has such strength and power that she never knew before.   
  
Rogue came barging into the mansion with a rage with herself for allowing contact with another, although it was really all she wanted. But she had to control herself, not let her anger get the better of her, even though it was getting her now. She let out a bloodcurdling scream with hate towards her own stupidity and on her way past a nearby tree that stood in the mansion's gates, she punched it with all her might, sending the tree into convulsions quivering from the force of the blow. The last thing Rogue expected to come from that was Kurt screaming "Look out!" as he was falling from the top of the tree that Rogue had just damaged. Rogue jumped out of the way although Kurt, disoriented from the fall, not expecting to be falling think this at all, only had enough time to shout out a warning before he landed on his back from the fall.   
  
"Ouch...." he moaned as he rubbed his back on the ground. The fall had come so quick that he hadn't even had the opportunity to think about teleprompting let alone be able to go through with it. "Thanks Rogue... wasn't expecting that one."  
  
"Oh my... Kurt... I'm sorry. I didn't see you up there... I didn't think...." she looked up at the tree going straight up with no branches until the very top where Kurt had fallen from. "Hey... just why were you up there any ways?"  
  
"Umm... just planning my next heist?" Kurt smiled innocently. Even as much of a lie as it sounded, with Kurt it could just as well be real. He was so good at his slyness and not allowing anyone to know when his next prank was to fall, he could lie through his teeth, or pretend he was so bad at it. Acting would be most definitely in his future if he weren't born with the horror of his mutation.   
  
"Umm... Kurt... you're starting to go on the fritz I think." Rogue looked at him, fuzzing in and out like an old worn down television set trying to pick up long range stations. Kurt looked down at his wrist, watching not only his arm buzz in and out of colors between a peachy fleshiness and furry blueness, but at the watch on his wrist, which sparks flew out of and finally gave a last sigh before completely breaking down. Kurt cursed aloud in German finally seeing his blue form appear solidly and stay with the destruction of the holographic imager. "Kurt, I'm sorry... I didn't mean too..." Rogue tried to get out but she wasn't fast enough.  
  
Kurt gave out a long and loud sigh, "I hope the professor has another one, I can't be seen like this!" With that he disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke, which a dull wind began to carry away into the sky.   
  
Rogue herself gave a sigh, angry with herself at only causing others trouble. It's what she was good at, and she hated herself for it. She slammed her fist into the tree again, shaking it as violently as before, still with the Blob's forces behind her. One of the front windows on the second story opened and Kitty's young face peered out from it, looking down at Rogue in the front yard. "Is everything alright? I heard someone upset out here, but I only see you."  
  
Rogue gave a casual flip of her hair, trying to surpress her anger and not allow it to control her again. "I just let things get out of hand stupidly. I busted up Kurt's holography-thingie by accident too... I didn't even see him there. He got upset himself and busted out of here somewhere. Probably back into the mansion somewhere."  
  
"That's not usually like Kurt to do that," Kitty replied, "don't let it bother you though, things will be alright." Rogue just shook her head and walked in through the front doors. Kitty... what a complete ditz. Always so optimistic, always so quick to show why the glass is half full and the sky is partly sunny. She didn't know what the world was really like, how to go through such a harsh life. She was perhaps the most human of all the people at the Xavier complex, the most able to fit into society, the most able to keep her unwanted mutation a secret. But Kitty was right. That really wasn't like Kurt. Kurt was almost always like her, so perky, so optimistic, always with the lovable sly grin on his face and a joke to brighten up the day. This was perhaps the first time she'd seen him storm off like that since she had come to the institute. Maybe Kitty was right, maybe he just had a bad day and everything will be forgotten come later when everything has blown over.   
  
Rogue continued her trek through the mansion, eventually hearing a noise from a near by room, she decided to wait by the doorway and eavesdrop on the situation. A favorite hobby of her's. She had found where Kurt went off to, hearing his voice, however still in that same upset tone, only this time debating with Xavier.   
  
"I'm sorry Kurt, but we don't have any more of the holographs at this moment. I'll make you one as soon as possible, but that won't be at least till sometime tomorrow."  
  
"I can't vait zat long professor..."  
  
"And why so urgent? What's the rush?"  
  
"I can't be see like zis! I just can't!" Kurt sighed in disgust at his situation. "And vhat about school? I can't go looking like zis?"  
  
"Then you'll just have to stay home tomorrow. I know you aren't happy with this, but there is nothing I can do." Xavier tried to continue with his protests but they fell upon deaf ears. Kurt stormed out of the room in anger, disappearing into another purple cloud of smoke. The professor gave a similar sigh to that of Rogue's from out in the front lawn. This wasn't like Kurt at all, it honestly wasn't. He had never shown this side of him before, he had never even hinted that this side of him was there all together. Perhaps it was just something at school troubling him, he would get over it. Come tomorrow he'd be fine thinking up a new prank during the day, if not even come dinner time tonight.  
  
However come dinner time, Kurt failed to show as he was the lone absentee for the only meal that was completely shared by the entire group. "Should I go up and try to speak with him?" Scott questioned, looking to the empty chair beside him.  
  
"No," Xavier shook his head, "I think it's best that we leave him be and just allow him time to regroup himself. If you want, you can bring some food up to him once we are done. Might as well start ourselves before the food gets cold."   
  
Dinner continued uneventfully and as promised, Scott brought up a plate of reheated food up the stairs to Kurt's room. Knocking on the door before entering. Scott heard a quiet "Enter," before he opened the door. The room was almost entirely pitch black for the exception of a single dull light over in the corner of a desk to which Kurt was huddled over, writing speedily in a notebook.  
  
"I brought some food for you if you wish it," Scott continued placing the plate next to where Kurt was writing on the desk. Scott couldn't help but glance over at what words were going into the notebook of his friend's. "What are you writing?" he asked inquisitively.  
  
"Homework," was Kurt's quick and uneasy response.  
  
"In German?" Scott was only answered by a harsh glance from the bright yellow eyes that turned to gaze at him, almost penetrating his ruby lenses and entering his soul. "Geez... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, you know that's the last thing I would do. We're all just worried a bit for you. If you ever need to, just come to any of us and we'll help you out as best as possible." Scott gave one last look to his friend who had returned to his writings before he closed the door shut.  
  
*****  
  
It was around noontime the follow morning that found Xavier sitting at the long dinning room table with a cup of tea, although occupied only by his dear friend Ororo, one of the adult watchers and fellow mutant of the Xavier Institute. "Did Kurt have anything to say?" Xavier inquired about Ororo's earlier meeting with the blue mutant whom had failed to exit his room since yesterday.   
  
"No, I'm afraid not. He pretty much just answered in half-hearted one word answers, not really paying attention. More like just parroting our conversation. Spent all of his time gazing out the window at the day on the other side. I found that dinner plate from last night, still in perfect condition, untouched."  
  
"Hmmm..." Xavier pondered, "still again unlike him. He is usually one of the first to clear his plate without even blinking. Still however, his holographic imager should be ready within a few hours, perhaps that will spark some life into him."  
  
"But why does this mean so much to him?" Ororo just couldn't put the two together.  
  
"I don't understand it quite myself my friend, but you must remember that we are not these that we look after. We are dealing with the minds of teenagers going through the toughest times in their lives, with the oddity of mutation. Besides, these are times and things for they themselves to figure out. I'm sure that the others have been doing all they can, perhaps it's best that we let them do this all on their own without our intervention."  
  
"Perhaps you are right Charles, but I still just don't feel very right about this."  
  
*****  
  
Scott was the first to arrive back to the mansion from school and was immediately spoken to by Xavier about their situation with Kurt. He had refused to come from his room, not taken any food or drink in the process. Xavier armed Scott however with the new holographic imager that was recently finished. Scott traveled up the stairs and knocked on Kurt's door, much like the same scene from the night before. A very light "Enter," was spoken from inside the room, telling Scott it was alright to come into the room. Kurt was in a chair he'd pulled up to the window, still gazing out it and the bright sunlight that came bustling through it unto the blue mutant's features.   
  
"Professor told me that you've had a bit of a rough day." He was only answered by Kurt's silence, still gazing out the window. "Here, he wanted me to give you this, said he just finished it, all nice and ready." Kurt finally looked up, seeing Scott's hand extended with the holographic imager in it. Kurt took it reluctantly and placed it around his wrist slowly.  
  
"Danke." With a push of a button, the machine turned on, and in a flash the blue furry demon that sat infront of Scott had turned into your normal and average teenage boy. Pale-peachy skin, floppy black hair, just like he was before. Kurt however turned back to the window and continued to gaze out at his, a light glare of his own reflection still in the glass.   
  
Scott still felt uneasy about seeing his friend and comrade feeling so down on something, and could just stand around not doing anything. "Hey, whenever the others come back, we're probably going out for some food, care to join us?" Kurt just shook his head slightly, still looking out the window. From the window, Kitty, Jean, and Evan could be seen coming down the sidewalk towards the manor, returning home from their own activities after school. "Come on Kurt, you haven't eaten anything in at least a day. It'll be fun and get you out of your room for once. Now that you've got your disguise you'll be fine, come on."   
  
Although it was still against his will, Kurt found himself in the back of Scott's car along side Evan and Kitty with Scott at the wheel traveling through the city streets. Evan had his other compatriots laughing in riots from a scene in school earlier in the day. Kurt just sighed heavily again as he looked out the window, although this time it was from the car and not his room, just a haze and glare. His mind had stayed just the complete blank it had been throughout the day. He hazed out listening to Evan's stories of the day, Kurt not wanting to listen to them since he wasn't there today to experience them first hand.   
  
"Yoo-hoo, earth to the Fuzzy Elf," Kitty waved a hand infront of his eyes that finally caught Kurt's attention and snapped him out of his trance. "For the fourth time, wakie wakie.... jeez, it's almost like someone put blinds over your brain or something."  
  
"Uh? Oh.... sorry," Kurt mumbled as he finally realized that they were parked out infront of Katrina's Diner, the local greasy spoon spot, but food so good that you could die for it. Mostly a local teen hang out, it was a good wholesome place where everyone sort of knew the workers by first name bases, and the cook could tell everyone in town dating back to a decade or so. The group of four X-Men got out of Scott's car and into the diner where they sat themselves, looking over the menu. Kurt sat in the seat of the both closed to the wall and placed his head down on the table top with a sigh.  
  
"Everything alright man?" Evan asked, looking at the blue figure (no pun intended) sitting next to him.   
  
"Yeah..." Kurt mumbled again, taking in a deep breath and straightening himself out. He couldn't be seen like this, Kurt Wagner, the king of all pranksters, the one always so upminded and enjoying life. He had so much here than he did back in German, he should be so happy. He should greet everyone with a giant smile, how great it was to actually have people look at him and they not run off in fear and terror screaming demon. Then why did he feel so horribly about himself? But now was not the time to be sulking over himself. He put a slight grin on his face, "I'll be alright, just been... bored today. That's all. Only so many times you can listen to the same CD's before you get bored with them."   
  
"Well I stopped by your teachers today and picked up some work for you to keep on track with everything. Didn't know how long you would be out so I didn't know what to pick up, but I guess you'll be back in tomorrow," Evan continued while ordering to the waitress.   
  
"Thanks," Kurt laughed, "not like I am going to do very good at any of it any ways, especially now since I don't know how to do any of it!" The other three laughed, Scott especially to see that Kurt appeared to be back in a good mood. It was just a slight phase that Kurt was going through, that's all. We've all gone through those bad days where you just want to lock yourself away from the world and let it pass in time. The Kurt they all knew was back, evident in his smile and his plotting mind for jokes and pranks all with the real intention to make his friends laugh. When you're a mutant and outcasts like the X-Men are, smiles and laughs are rare to come by, however not with Kurt in the group. Things will return back to normal.  
  
The rest of the meal went on in the same formation, laughs being pasted between the friends as quickly as the stories were being exchanged. Jokes about Kitty's choice of vegetables over meat ("don't you think that potatoes scream when you pull them out of the ground?"), over Kurt's always listening to the Beatles ("Hate to tell you Kurt, but don't expect any tour coming in this area soon by them"), and many other things. When the meal was finished, the sky turned even darker shades of gray than before and when the heavens opened, the group had to run to the car in a hustle to avoid getting as wet as possible. By the time they had finally reached the mansion, the rain was coming down at a blistering pace, leaving visibility to a minimum, forcing the car to drive home at a crawling pace. Eventually they got home being greeted by the rest of the troupe that awaited them at the institute.  
  
"Rain's really coming down hard out there," Evan mentioned, walking in soaking wet from having to run into the house."  
  
"Really? I couldn't tell," Kitty said with a smirk, having been able to allow all the water droplets to phase through her, keeping her perfectly dry.  
  
"Ja," Kurt replied, "vhy not just rub it in a little more Keety," he squeezing his clothes free of all the excess water that it picked up outdoors. The three of them continued up the stairs to their respective rooms to attempt to dry themselves off, with the exception of Kitty of course who followed the boys, laughing at their soaked selves. That is until Evan and Kurt both turned to her and shook like wet dogs, tossing the water from themselves onto Kitty. "EWW!!!" She screamed running into her room, trailed by laughs of the other two.  
  
Professor Xavier wheeled himself from one of the near by doorways to where Scott remained infront of the stairs, watching the trio disappear in water and laughter. "Scott," Xavier spoke, bringing the teen's attention to his mentor, "how did the meal go with Kurt?"  
  
"It went well, he's back to himself."  
  
"I could tell that from the noise I've just recently hurt." As if on cue, Kitty's voice could be heard making various threatening attempts, followed by a mixed laughter of the two boys.  
  
Suddenly the front door opened again revealing a very wet and soggy Rogue, just coming home from staying late after school. The metal riffs of a blazing guitar in her ears, although her hair so wet and frizzled from the rain that he fell infront of her face, covering her eyes, probably for the better to hide the rage she had of the weather. "Just don't even talk to me, and don't even say what I know you're thinking," she warned as she walked by a laughing Scott and Xavier.  
  
***************  
  



	2. A Nightmare's Discovery

  
The storm continued on late into the night and deep into the waning hours when the souls of the day should be well deep into their sleep. However one soul was still struggling with himself and drove his mind into insomnia. In a poof of purple smoke, a dark figure appeared in Kitty's room, that which was still lit by a single dull light by her desk. Kitty had fallen fast asleep at her desk, face down in her text books, still the studier as always, trying to get every bit of knowledge on everything that she could. "Keety," Kurt whispered lightly while still trying to have his voice higher than the rhythmic patterns of the rain drops tapping the glass to the window of her room. A streak of lightening illuminated the sky off in the distance, showing Kurt an magnificent view of the town in the flash of a second, captivating himself. He alone had saw it, he alone saw it's beauty and witness the awe power that nature can bring. He had almost forgot in the split moment what he had come into the room for, until it struck him again with the passing of the moment. "Keety..." he whispered again.  
  
"Huh?" Kitty jumped, startled to be woken so suddenly, and so unaware of her surroundings. Last she remembered, she was studding for her trigonometry test for the next day and suddenly, poof, it was night and someone was calling to her. "Huh... who... who's there... show yourself...." she was obviously still groggy from being woken up so suddenly.  
  
"Please Keety... it's just me," Kurt tried to calm her, stepping closer to into and into the light to show his intensity. "I didn't realize that you were sleeping, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll leave you to your dreams."  
  
"No wait..." Kitty pleaded as Kurt turned to leave. She gave a yawn and a stretch, looking at the alarm clock next to her bed quickly, hazingly seeing the electric red digits reading off the time 3:13am. "I'm up, it's no biggy anymore. You just scared me! You know how much I jumped when you port like that when I don't know it's coming!" She laughed lightly like always, a sleepy slime on her face, although one that was true even this late at night. She looked up a little surprised to still see Kurt fully dressed as he would normally during the day, holographic imager and everything. He looked like a normal teenage boy ready to go out on regular, everyday activities.  
  
"It can vait, you should get your sleep, you have a big test tomorrow," Kurt mentioned, looking to Kitty's trig book that was being doubled as a pillow.  
  
Kitty didn't even bother to protest this time, instead she just couldn't help but ask about Kurt's appearance especially at... she snuck a peek back at the clock, it now reading 3:14. "Do you always sleep like that? I mean like the clothes and the imager and everything? Seems like an odd thing to wear to sleep. I'm sure that imager thingy is a pain to sleep with."  
  
"You don't know the half of it," Kurt growled back, obviously upset to start with, Kitty's words not helping much at all.   
  
Kitty sat up in a startle, not expecting to receive such a harsh response from the normally always upbeat Kurt. "Hey, take it easy Elf, I didn't mean to get you that upset. I was just wondering, I'm sorry if I hit a wrong note or something." She stood up and took another long stretch, keeping the same smile she always seemed to have plastered on her face. "Is there something that I can do for you? Obviously you didn't pop at 3 in the morning to just say hello."  
  
Kurt placed his hand over the electronic device that he kept on his wrist, trying to hide it casually in the night from Kitty's sight. "I.... I just can't sleep..."  
  
"There's more to it than just a little nightmare bothering you Elf, this time I know you're lying."  
  
"It's more of a nightmare than you can ever imagine."  
  
"What's bothering you Kurt? You've seemed so spacey as of late, just like it's not really the Kurt that we all know and love." Love? Ha! Now that was a word that rang the bell of irony in Kurt's head. How could anyone love such a demonic freak like he is. So evil and disgusting he was that even his own mother had toss him away, probably from the fear of being found out to have harbored such a demonic child. 'Just look at me' Kurt began to think to himself, 'I am not even human, I am not for what a human can love, I look to what humans hate and fear.' Sure, all his friends at the institute tried to help, even Xavier and the others, but it still wasn't the same. He knew that they resented him, that they couldn't stand to look in the wonder and the oddity that he was in his true from. They kept him on a friendly basis for the sake of just being friendly, not for the sake of love. They couldn't love him, not Kurt, the one whom shall never be touched by humanity. "Com'on Kurt," Kitty tried again, only receiving silence to her protests, "You know that you can always tell me, I'm always here for you."  
  
"Do you find me human?" was Kurt's quick response, something that Kitty was not expecting at all. This was the same Kurt that always enjoyed acrobating around walls and hanging off of random places with the aid of his tale that he seemed to enjoy so much.   
  
"Of course, why would you ever think of such a question. Of course you are," Kitty was able to spit out quickly, her mind was still not all together with it from her sleep.  
  
"And a freak?"  
  
"Kurt, calling you a freak is the same as calling any of us freaks. You know that we aren't anything of that, you are normal people like the rest of them. Just that we have a little something extra, but that doesn't change anything. Does our brain still think on the same paths as others? Isn't our blood just the same shade of red as that of normal people?" Kitty was fully thought out for something like this. How many times before had she been so upset with the thought of her being called a freak. She wasn't one, she was just like everyone else, honest! So she could walk through walls, but that shouldn't be curse on to her, it should just leave her to be a normal person like everyone else. She hadn't killed anybody, she hadn't robbed any stores, why should she be so looked down upon. If not her, then why not all her friends at the institute, why not Kurt?   
  
"What about pale skin? what about ears on the side of your head? What about eyes of a normal color, of a normal shape?"   
  
Kitty smiled again looking to her friend in hopes of cheering him up. After all the times she had been down and he was there to rescue her with a joke, or bring her into laughter, it was the least she could do. "There's nothing wrong with how you are. The fuzz and the ears are kinda cute," she giggled lightly, "besides, the eyes are kind of like those of a cat's."   
  
"Cat...." Kurt mumbled in disgust to himself, "Not human...." He sighed heavily again and closed his eyes for a moment. In a moment's notice he was gone in a flash of purple smoke.  
  
"Oh Kurt!" Kitty tried to reach him, but it was too late, he was already gone and out of her speaking reach. With a sigh of her own, she sat back down on her desk chair and rested her head on her hand that lay itself on the desk. "I didn't mean it like that.... I didn't..." Stupid Kurt, what did he know? Waking her up at 3 in the morning and then miswording her all the time like that? But something was really bothering him. This wasn't like him at all... perhaps come the morning everything would have past and he'll be alright. Yeah, that's it. He'll wake up in the morning and port right next to her again and scare the daylights from her when she wasn't expecting it. She would scold him, and he would just run off holding his side from laughter, even though she herself would be laughing inside too. Kitty knew everything was going to be alright.  
  
From outside, a cloud of purple smoke mixed with the droplets of the rain from atop a tall tree inside the Xavier complex. The cold rain continued to pour down, mixing with the warm drops that fell from what looked to be a cat's eyes....  
  
*****  
  
The following morning brought a spectacle of sight to the world. A beautifully clear sky that followed the clouds from the heavy rain. Moisture from the weather still left all the trees and grass with a coding of water. It almost seemed like a morning out of a movie, so perfect it was with the morning birds chirping away, gathering morning worms that were still exposed from the ground because of the water that was blocking their tunnels.   
  
Kitty had gotten very little sleep since her encounter with Kurt the night before, but seemed awake and alright when she made her way downstairs to try and get some quick breakfast before hurrying out to school. Scott and Evan were already at the table with cereal bowls in front of them, although neither of them seemed awake enough to even realize what they were doing. She made her way into the kitchen and poured a bowl of cereal for herself, then joining her two sleepy companions. As she sat down, another set of footsteps was heard coming down the stairs and in walked Kurt, he seemed to not have any sleep what-so-ever, looking and walking sluggish. Kitty gave him a glance of interest to make sure that everything was alright. Kurt just responded with a childish grin, stumbling to a chair and plopping his head onto the table top. "Vhy does zhe morning have to come so soon?" Kitty gave off a slight laugh, glad to see that her friend was back in his normal high spirits like always. She always knew he'd be like this, it was just a bad night for him yesterday, that's all. We all have those days, but they aren't anything worth life threatening.  
  
"Probably because you're up so late, not getting to sleep with all that junk food that you wolf down," Scott joked bringing a smile to his face too. He was much relieved also at the smile on Kurt's face. Being the leader of the group and the oldest, he always had a spot of worry for everyone that he looks after and for everyone that looks up to him. "Com'on, any ways it's time to go. Class starts in a few minutes any ways."  
  
The four of them scurried around the house in a bustle to try and prepare themselves for the classes that wait ahead. Quickly they were joined by the other two members of their group, Jean and Rogue, and were off on their way to school and classes, just like any other normal teenager would do. Although there was always the challenge of having to hide their mutant abilities, it was a nice feeling to be with and interact with others who looked to them and respected them as normal humans. The only members at the school whom knew that they were mutants were other mutants themselves, both sides observing a truce to not spill each other secrets for if one side was found out, the other was simply sling mud back in the other direction as well.   
  
Jean, Kitty, and Scott hurried together to their class which happened to be trigonometry which they all were put in together. Aware of the test coming, Kitty tried to thing of everything that she went over last night, but it was of no use. Everytime she tried to run a formula through her head, her thoughts just went back to Kurt and the pain that she could see in his eyes. But why was this bothering her so much? He was fine wasn't he? He looked it this morning, back to his good old self, joking and smiling, laughing and pranking. She should just let it pass from her head, now back to trigonometry... but he had looked so horribly last night. There was something more than just a bad day bothering him, and why did he get so upset? She hadn't said anything upsetting to him, just told him the truth. What was she thinking? She had a big test upcoming that she had to be ready for! Tom's Old Aunt Sat On Her Cat And Hollered... T=O/A; S=O/H; C=A/H; but those were the same bright and caring eyes he always had.  
  
The clock began to tick by as the tests were passed out to which Kitty attacked with vigor like always, but things just didn't click! ARGH! 'Stupid Kurt, making me think about how he was feeling and not letting me concentrate on math.' The clock continued to tick and Kitty continued to struggle, writing out all the formulas, having to erase, redo, and re-erase many problems over and over until finally getting them done. In a final moment of relief she slapped her pencil down on the desk after answering the final question, just in perfect timing with the bell that went off, signaling the end of the period.   
  
Kitty joined Scott and Jean out of the math room and down the same hallway where all of them would go off into their different directions to different classes. However they were met by a circle of students that were gathering around, cheering wildly. The three friends decided to take a peek into what was going on out of curiosity, but was shocked to discover what was occurring within the circle. Alone in the ring of people stood Kurt and Josh Kalvarious, upstart punk on the basketball team with his basketball buddies backing him up. Normally people just passed over Josh because it wasn't even worth dealing with him let alone listen to him, but with Kurt caught in the circle of people, he looked as though he didn't have any choice but to deal with the thug infront of him. Josh towered over Kurt, displaying Josh's height that made him who he was on the basketball team, although for all the size he had, he was rather scrawnily built, although still a force to be reckoned with.   
  
"Now runt, you were sayin' somptin' about messin' with me?" Josh spoke with his heavily accent that he acquired from one too many gangster rap albums, even though he lived in the outside suburbs of Bayville.  
  
"I didn't zay anything," Kurt spoke in protest, looking around for a way to get out of the trap circle he was in. He didn't want anything to do with this guy, didn't have any reason either. He had no idea why Josh had reached into his bags of names and pulled out Kurt's to harass for the day.  
  
"Yeah, what ever runt, maybe you should go back to Germany and cry to mommy," Josh taunted Kurt, rubbing his eyes in mockery. He got a laugh out of his basketball buddies who were behind him, egging him on with Kurt's torment.  
  
Scott finally made it and stepped in-between the two, leaving Kitty and Jean to add to the spectators within the circle. "Josh, stop this. You have no business with him."  
  
"Do I now? Well then shades boy, go tell him that if he wants to mock people in his foreign language, then we'll just have to find that puny country and bomb the hell out of it."  
  
Kurt's face turned red with rage, angry at the idiot infront of him, but powerless to do anything about it. He surely couldn't use his powers infront of everyone, and fighting back would only make things worse. "Watch what you are saying Josh," Scott warned.  
  
"You can't watch words," Josh retorted quickly, "but you can certainly watch why I have to play immigration. No stinkin' foreigner is going to be making fun of me in my country!" With that Josh threw a punch, striking it right over Scott's shoulder and landing it square in Kurt's face, right between his eyes and just above his nose. Kurt instantly hit the ground, instinctively covering his face from the pain that was throbbing into it. Josh's buddies laughed behind him as Josh himself looked quite pleased with himself, "Man that guy's hairier than I could ever imagine, and he doesn't even look it." Josh grabbed his knuckles and keeping the show going, kissed them proudly at his knockout. "Nice work girls.... hey... what the heck is this?" He looked in-between two of his fingers that tightly held a small single strand of hair with a fainted color of blue.   
  
Scott could see the trouble and grabbed Kurt's harm, helping him to his feet. "Com'on, it's time we were out of this mess." The pair hurried out of the circle and down the hall, around a corner and quickly into one of the bathrooms, hoping that no one had seen their travel's path. Scott made a quick check of the surroundings, luckily no one was there.   
  
"Kurt... Kurt... what happened?" He tapped his teammate lightly on the head, Kurt still groggy from the shot he just took. "What did you do to provoke that kid like that. You know he's not worth anything!"  
  
"But Szcott, I didn't zay anything!" Kurt spoke through glassy eyes, still struggling to get a hold of himself, "I slipped and told him hello in German when he bumped into me in the halls. It's a habit, I just can't kick my home tongue! He just turned and screamed at me."  
  
Scott sighed, knowing Josh, Kurt was easily telling the truth. The two could hear Josh and his group roaming the halls again, passing right past the bathroom's door. "What the hell was that?" "He must be some kind of freak or something." "Nah, maybe it's just cause he's German." "You can't tell, all those freaks popping up lately." "Nah, a blue-haired freak when he doesn't even look it. Trust me, I know these kinds of people, them freaks ain't human, they're just freaks."  
  
Kurt sighed, rubbing his face, he looked into one of the mirrors, looking back into his own fake eyes that were being produced by the holographic imager. Their words stung. They're hatred for a scapegoat, just for him being German, just for him not being human. Surely they would connect the blue hair and point him out as a freak. Josh and his buddies many be dumb, but they aren't stupid. Scott could hear their voices as well and looked to his friend, seeing the pain it induced. "Kurt, don't listen to them, you're human, we're both human. You aren't any different than they are, just don't worry about it." Scott could tell that he was loosing though, "Kurt, don't do this on me."   
  
Kurt just sighed and continued to look at his face, a blue spot showing where a bruise would be from the punch. A small tear trickled down his face, all the thoughts over the past few days coming to him. Soon it was his whole life, his whole appearance, his faking it with some stupid piece of machinery. "I am not human...." He moaned, another tear trickling down his face. He gave one last pathetic look to Scott before he was gone in a cloud of purple smoke.  
  
*************** 


	3. A Nightmare's Vanishing

  
Kitty was laying on her bed, face down buried deep inside her pillows that she clung onto very tightly, the tears from her eyes falling off of her cheeks, creating pools of moisture on the pillow themselves. Her bloodshot eyes shown just how much she was really upset, and just how long she had been crying for. Scott, trying to be the ever present "older brother" that he is, sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her back gentle, trying to calm her down. "Shhh...." he whispered softly to Kitty, "it'll be alright. Kurt will be back and he'll be completely alright. You know him, come tomorrow he'll be porting around, setting up tricks and traps for each of us to fall into." It was a complete lie, and he knew it too. This time Kurt wouldn't just come back randomly with a villainous smile on his face, who knew where he was now. He had taken off during the first periods of the school day and by now it was already well past sunset. Scott took a quick peek out the window, but he couldn't see anything. The darkness outside only cast his reflection in a perfect mirror created by the light from the inside.  
  
"No, it's not like that," Kitty sobbed, her voice being muffled by the pillows still shoved against her face. "This is all my fault, I should have been able to help Kurt when he needed me, but I didn't. I'm the reason he took off."  
  
"Hey Kitty, you shouldn't say such things like that," Scott continued his case to try and keep her calm. "There is nothing that you could have done to help this." Scott was just as much in the dark about Kurt's disappearance as everyone else, he was merely mumbling out generic remarks to try and keep hope, keep Kitty from total deflation. This was not like Kurt. He was upset before, but just that morning he had been bright and perky, that same villainous smile on his lips and a smirk look that would put a laugh and a grin on everyone else. "How can you say this is your fault? We tried our best."  
  
"No, you don't understand Scott, you just don't!" Kitty turned to face Scott, her face still burning red and her lips trembling with anger, although not at Scott, but at herself for being such a failure. Ever since she came to the Xavier Institute she was always messing things up for her and her teammates. Not once could she ever do anything to help anyone or save anyone. With a sigh she just gave up her anger, more of anger at herself and not something she could hold towards Scott. "Kurt came to me last night all upset and uptight over something. I must have fallen asleep at my desk cause he woke me up thinking I was still up." Kitty sighed and looked down, the quick fall from anger to deep depression to a hatred of herself catching her all at once. "He kept asking me questions about him not sleeping and about being human. I tried to answer him back, get him out of his horrid mood but I must have screwed it all up. He mumbled something about being cats and humans and took off again even worse than when he showed up to me."  
  
"Why didn't you mention any of this before?" Scott inquired.  
  
"Because he showed up this morning all bright and cheery that's why!" Kitty's anger broke out again. "I thought he was fine, back to his normal self. I am not going to go around stirring the pot when there's no stew inside to stir. That's why! Forgive me for trying to have an optimistic mind and not running back to report every negative thing that could happen in a day! I thought it was just best to keep this to me and Kurt and not break it into anything more, but obviously I shouldn't really be thinking then should I?!" Kitty just snapped, loosing control of her emotions, she threw her head back down in her pillows with fresh tears streaming out of her face to flood over the past tears, still wet on her pillow.   
  
Scott gave a sigh and stood up making his way to the door, leaving the room with a shake of his head. "Well that certainly sounded like it went over well," Rogue was snickering, sitting on the floor next to Kitty's door. "glad to see that Kitty's feeling better too."  
  
"Rogue, this is not the time," Scott gave her a glare and turned on a quick pivot down the hall. He stopped infront of Kurt's doorway which was down the other end from where Kitty's was. With a turn of the handle he opened the door into the pitch black room that just screamed out the owner of the room just from the senses of it. The sight, the smell, the touch, it was all trademark Kurt.   
  
"And just what do you think you're doin' Red Boy?" Rogue questioned him, following him down the hall, standing outside the open door, but looking in. Scott just ignored the southerner behind him and made his way to the desk in the corner of the room, opening each drawer and looking carefully through them one by one. "Hey, just what are you doin'?" Rogue demanded again from the open doorway. "It's not nice to go through other's things without their permission, and especially not while they aren't here. Isn't something of privacy what Kitty just yelled at you for."  
  
"Listen Rogue, I know there's something in here that might be able to help us find Kurt and help him," Scott continued his search, coming up with nothing. "If it's in Kurt's best interest, I'll go through his stuff if it'll help find him and help in what ever is troubling him."  
  
"Maybe what's troubling him is just this lifestyle," Rogue shot back. "Look at all the people he's got watching him from everywhere to make sure that he achieves perfection. One little slip up and he's got people all over him, his privacy ruined, and no thought to Kurt himself."  
  
"I'm doing this for Kurt!" Scott was not loosing it, just not being able to put up with another argumentative girl at the moment. He slammed one of the drawers shut, not finding what he was looking for. He turned and looked around the room to where it could be hidden.  
  
"You're doing this for yourself and you're doing this for the team, but perhaps you don't see how someone can do anything for another individual. You find that so easy to do fitting into society both here and outside in the world." Rogue shot back. "Perhaps you should think for everyone, including those that don't fit into your world!"  
  
"Do you think this is easy on me? Do you think I'm less of a mutant than anyone else here? Do you think I want a different dream than that of what we set out for, to allow mutants and humans to co-exist together in perfect harmony?"  
  
"That's your problem Scott, you think far too largely in the scare of the world, and not in the scale of the people that sit infront of you." Rogue turned in disgust and disappeared down the stairs of the mansion. Scott could only just give a sigh and reach in a small space behind Kurt's bed, pulling out a small red notebook. Flipping through the pages, Scott offered himself a bit of a grin, finally finding what he was looking for and left the room himself with the success of his hunt.  
  
*****  
  
Days continued to pass by and still no sign of Kurt showed itself, only heightening the worry of the residents of the Xavier Institute. Kurt was still just a young man, especially out there in the world that he had just begun living in Bayville as a normal teenager hiding behind his holographic imager. Even worse, what would become of him if the imager, which wasn't perfect, broke or began to go on the fritz again? He would have no back-ups and would be stuck and exposed as the blue furry creature that he is. Although the occupants of the mansion tried not to think of it, the idea that perhaps Kurt wouldn't ever come back, or that he might not even still live lingered over all of them.   
  
Two of the elder residents at the institute, Logan and Xavier himself, sat together in a room with computer beeping and flashing lights all around, screens completely covering one wall with metal frames over the other three. "Now Charles, you're sayin' that even Serebro here can't pick anything up on our fur ball?"  
  
"No, I'm sorry Logan. The computer can only pick up mutant activity when it is being used, and that is not always 100% correct. I mean it doesn't pick up mutant activity all the time when used," the professor replied from his wheelchair, noticing the angered look that was vintage Logan. "It's only a computer after all, it's not God, and it can't even play God."  
  
"And what about your super brain powers huh? You can pick up a cockroach in Bombay but not a fuzzy blue kid just lost somewhere?" Logan mocked.  
  
"Even my powers have their limitations Logan, as do all our powers. You know that full well."  
  
Logan turned in disgust and walked out the door, "I'm getting out of here, I'll be back sometime."  
  
Xavier just let him walk, there wasn't much unusual about Logan storming off, he'd been doing that since Xavier had first ever met the man known as Wolverine. Xavier looked to his watch, the dull lights inside displaying it only being 9:15 at night, although it had been a hard day and a hard past few days with Kurt's disappearance. Everyone was taking it hard in their own ways at the mansion. Evan's been trying to hide his depression from loosing his friend, but it's just obvious to see on his face and in his mind. Scott took Kurt's disappearance quite hard, although he also tried not to show it. He had a role to play as the "big brother" to all the others and had he shown his depression and hurt, it would fall like a trickle down effect, leaking into everyone else in the house. Although lately very little had been seen of him, except for a night when he went out to try and find a German-English dictionary. Ever since then, he'd been in his room, working constantly, sometimes till late at night, working harder at deciphering the notebook than his own school work. Kitty however might be taking it the hardest of all. Even though it had been days, closer to a week, since Kurt's disappearance, she has not gotten any better, still blaming herself for the reason of his leaving. Most times her once precious and beautiful eyes were scared by the bloodshot marks and the redness of around her eyes, giving her away to her crying that she just couldn't help but commit. Oh sure Kurt was a pain, always picking on everyone, especially her, but he was always just concerned with a laugh and getting others to smile. Even Kitty laughed most of the times under the grimace she had whenever the jokes were played on her. It was just so odd having *Kurt* missing. Kurt was always there and always just so lovable, it's just impossible to ever see him gone for so long and even gone for a moment from his home and friends. Rogue on the other hand was the complete opposite. Who knew what thoughts she had in her head or what she cared about anything or anybody. She was always a loner, and cared for herself more than others since no other else cared for her, why should she care for others? Her constant look of ever-present brooding kept here away from others, even the other members of the Xavier compound.  
  
This loneliness that Rogue shared with herself brought her inside a local 7-11 store when coming back from school towards the Xavier mansion. She was late enough as it was, although it's not as if she cared at all. She merely wanted to walk into the store and get nothing more than a drink to help carry her over her walk towards the institute, however she was in for a little more when Freddy "The Blob", and his buddy Toad were inside the store as well. "Well, well, well, look at what we got here," Freddy laughing seeing Rogue's entrance, he himself loading up on jukefood in his arms that would probably last him a day or so.  
  
"Hee, yeah, as if this place couldn't get any darker or gauntly," Todd joined in the mockery.  
  
Rogue shot around pointing her index finger threateningly at the two, reaching for her glove to remove just as back-up. "Now I did not come in here to listen to you two mindless dimwits." She sneered going to the back freezers and pulling out a simple 20 ounce coke, bringing it up to the register for check out.   
  
"Hey," Todd just couldn't help but get his words in, coming up right behind the southern girl. "Heard something happened to that blue freak. Hea... haven't even seen him around town or in school. Did he die or something?"   
  
"Shudup frog face and get out of my sights!" Rogue turned and gave him a rough elbow to his sternum, sending The Toad into his friend's Freddy's stomach, obviously just bouncing off that to the floor.   
  
"Why don't you watch what your doing," Freddy fired back at the goth girl, still miffed at her from when she stole his powers earlier in the week. "Cant'cha just be kind to a guy for asking a simple question? or maybe..." Freddy drew in his breath his a sly grin on his face, "maybe that was that freak of a fuzz ball on that paper."  
  
This caught Rogue's attention. She turned quickly, gazing a fire into the fat boy's eyes and soul. "Paper? What paper, let me see."  
  
"Nah, I don't think we should letcha see, ya might try and pound on us again," Todd was back off the floor, mocking her once again as if she might really hurt him. "I don't think we should let the likes of you see. Ya might call up your alligator powers and have your swamp boys try to attack us with their spears and turtle shells." The two boys broke out hysterically to the joke on Rogue's original southern home.  
  
Rogue was quick, catching Todd of guard who was laughing too hard at his own joke, and before he knew it, Rogue had her fist around the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air. "Now, are you boys' goin' tobe nice and show me this paper or am I going to have to take it out of you?" She reached for her glove again, although this squealed out Todd, who didn't want to pass out on the floor.   
  
"It... It's over there... that one on the bottom," Todd pointed out.   
  
Rogue dropped him for the moment and went over to look at the one that was pointed out. "The National Inquirer, do you think I'm really that stupid frog face?"  
  
"Just read the headlines and find out for yourself Lucifina," Todd shot back.  
  
'Satan's Demon Terrorizes German Black Forest'  
  
Rogue quickly picked up the paper and threw it on the counter with her drink, paying the register and hurrying out the door to read it away from Mystique's two dingbats. Wait a sec, why did Rogue care so much. Why was she suddenly so interested in Kurt and his well being? That didn't matter, she had to read this article, truth or not. What are the odds that this thing has anything to do with Kurt or if it was even true. It was positioned next to another article titled 'Nine Headed Cow Gives Birth to Triplets, Each With Three Heads.' Yeah right, there is going to be anything about Kurt in the article... but it made such perfect sense. A blue evil demon that is torturing the black forest of Germany? Even more bits came into sense as Rogue continued to read on about the demons glowing yellow eyes that gazed at travelers through the trees. The demon's ambush on people when hanging from his tale off of the large trees in the forest. The demon's cat like reflexes and agility as well as it's appearance and movement, not walking like a human at all. How sure Rogue was not that it was Kurt... but what did she care? She should just leave this to the other X-men, they actually care enough to go out and do something about it, but they'd just mess it up and throw him into a kind of hypnotizing optimist course like they'd been trying with her. Scott with his tyrannical theory's, Jean with her ever-present thought of always being so all knowing like she should be worshiped as an oracle or something to that nature, Kitty just... geez someone's got to wipe that smile and laugh off her face. Although now it's almost the exact opposite since all she does is just cry pitifully over Kurt's leaving, just being a complete mess. 'Helpless girl' Rogue thought.   
  
Rogue couldn't put Kurt up to this torture, not even he deserved it. But why was she thinking of doing what she was doing? Why? There was no rhyme, no reason, this wasn't her style, this wasn't anything that would have her gain anything at all. What was the point?   
  
*****  
  
Rogue looked at herself and just shook her head as the lights flashed past her on the train going from Bayville south into New York City, and specifically JFK airport. Someone's watch nearby chirped 3 am. Rogue opened her bag and pulled out a small bag filled with a few hundred dollars that she stole from the Professor that night when he was sleeping like everyone else in the manor. She'd been there long enough to figure out the security system and how to dodge around it. Her plane from JFK airport to Heathrow would take off soon and from there she could catch another flight to Hamburg and somehow find this "black forest." She looked in her bag again, carrying besides the money only a few spare clothes to change into, the National Inquirer with the article on the demon, a red notebook and a German-English dictionary, the last two she picked off Scott's desk when he was fast asleep before she took off. What a surprise it will be to them when they find what she took and note she left.   
  
Professor Xavier,  
I found a lead into where Kurt might be. Be gone for a while.  
  
-Rogue  
  
Yup, nice and short and sweet. No details about where she was going, when, and what she took. They'd find out eventually, but by then it'd be already too late. Of course it'll be too late before any of them even wake up. Rogue took the notebook and opened it to the first page, flipping through the German-English dictionary and tried to kill time by reading just what was so special about this book.  
  
  
*************** 


	4. A Nightmare's Acceptance

  
It had been a rough and long day for Rogue, having finally made it into Germany from New York. She was terribly tired when she left the airport at Hamburg but she couldn't sit back and take some time to regain herself. She had to find where this black forest where ever it was, then somehow find a way to get out there, and then try to find Kurt, if he even was there. This was completely stupid, why was Rogue there in the first place, she had no right or no business being in Germany. Who knew if Kurt was even there, she's following a lead that was found in a tabloid from 7-11. Besides which, even if Kurt was in that forest somewhere, why was it Rogue out there to investigate, why not "big brother" Scott who has to be the leader? Why not Jean who could probably track him down with her telepathic powers? Why not Kitty who actually cared for Kurt because he's Kurt? even though she probably would never admit it.  
  
All this thought doesn't help, what if's and who should's aren't of any help now because it is Rogue that is in Germany, and not anyone else. Why was she even there? It's not as if she really cared for Kurt so much. Sure he was one of Xavier's students whom she could trust and had a small friendship with, but that was merely based on the fact that she and him were teammates and nothing more. Then why was she looking through her dictionary frantically trying to find out how to say "Black Forest" in German, but she wasn't having much luck. Stupid country, not a single person could speak English. Rogue's anger grew at how stupid she was to fall for this, to come half way around the world for no reason, just to look for someone who probably is at a different corner of the world. "Stupid Kurt," Rogue mumbled, "I understand his was his home, but why couldn't he come from Miami or someplace where I can actually understand someone."  
  
"Hey there missy, lookin' for someone to talk to?" Rogue turned around with a startle hearing someone call to her in English. A man sat in a yellow taxi, arm hanging out the window with the other on the wheel, looking to her. "What are you looking for there missy?"  
  
"You speak English?" Rogue was just a bit too startled to realize the expression on her face.  
  
"Yup, I'm English by nature but I've been in Hamburg for the past few years. Usually get work from all the American tourists like you that arrive since I can get them places without needing help of a bumbling dictionary." The man nodded, he had a funny dark plaid flat cap that covered over a bit of his face, but a large and hulky brown mustache still shown it's way through. "Now, what can I do for you?"  
  
"I need to get to the Black Forest, know how to get there?"  
  
"Black Forest, nobody wants to go there anymore since the stories of the demon appearing there," the man replied. "Used to be where everyone went, although I honestly don't understand what's so scary. There are no such things as demons."  
  
Rogue gave the man a slight laugh, "Right, so can you help me get there?"  
  
"Sure thing missy, you're going to want to take the railway there and go on that till....."  
  
*****  
  
It had been about a day or so that Rogue had been traveling through the German country side, and now she saw herself face to face with the humoungus trees that made up the Black Forest. It probably wasn't too promising that her first action inside the forest itself was a yawn that she had never felt before. How tired she had been, never taking a break ever since her late night escape from the Xavier Institute to now here in Germany. Sure a quick nap here and there on the planes and trains, but nothing very comforting and healthy. "Kurt, you better be out here you fuzzy blue boy," Rogue just let out a moment of frustration. "I had better not come all this way just to come up with nothing."  
  
The sun was up in the afternoon sky as Rogue began to walk through the woods and it's maze of trees. Where to even begin to search for him? The article just merely spoke of the demon being in the forest, but not specifically where he was. Besides which, the article never said how big these woods were, they was enormous. "Now what am I supposed to do? Just go up to these trees and ask them if they've seen this demon? Argh! Why am I here? Just what the heck did I plan on achieving?"   
  
In a moment of rage she slumped to the grown and sighed, crossing her legs, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small sandwich she bought from a vender at one of the train stations. She took a quick bite out of it, so tired now that it was a struggle just to chew the bits of food and be able to swallow them. Stupid Kurt, this is all his fault. She leaned back and felt her head rest up against one of the giant trees. She took in a deep breath trying to regain herself. She took a quick blink and gave off another yawn, and blinked again.  
  
However this time when she opened her eyes again, she was blinded by a light glaring itself right at her. She raised her hand up to the light to block it and turned her head to look at the woods around her. The sun had disappeared and night replaced it, covering the trees in blackness. "Oh my god... I... I must have fallen asleep!" This sudden realization hit Rogue with a startle.  
  
She jumped up to her feet and look at what the light was blinding her. A man was all bundled up in a long overcoat holding a flash light directly at Rogue, speaking something to her in German which she couldn't understand a bit of. Seeing the man's coat made Rogue realize just how cold she was and how much the temperature dropped with the coming of the night. "Umm... I'm sorry sir, I don't have a single clue what you are saying?" She was trying to see in case this man just might happen to know English as well like at the airport, but luck wasn't with her this time.  
  
The man kept speaking, going off about something, although it sounded as if he was quite angry over something. He finally grabbed Rogue's arm and tried to pull her with him in a hurry, showing that he was egar to get out of the woods and wanted to take her with him. Rogue throw her arm, ripping it away from the man in disgust. "You get your hands off of me, I ain't goin' anywhere with you," she yelled to the man, although she doubted that he was even listening let alone understanding. His eyes were fixed up at the trees, swinging his head to look from tree to tree in a quick motion. His hand began to tremble wildly, the evidence of this being how much the flash light was trembling and it's display of illumination wobbling on the trees. Quickly he moved the flashlight to aim at the trees, searching frantically for something. He tried to grab at Rogue's sleeve again, but like before, she shook him off with a threat this time to pummel him if he tries it once more.   
  
With blazing speed a shadow in the forest moved and knocked the light from the man's hand sending it flying through the trees and off a distance. The man took no moment's hesitation and took to his heels, flying out the way that he came in a scream, ranting off on something in German that Rogue couldn't understand.   
  
Rogue herself was too busy steadying herself, standing in fight position and looking around the darkness for what is was that just scared off the man. "Com'on out, I know you're out there." She kept on a pivot looking around from tree to tree, her only light being from the flashlight that was too far away not to do much of any good. "Show yourself, I'll take you down, I know your there."   
  
In the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes glared at her with a bit of snarl. The eyes moved quickly from ground to tree and then to a tree following that. Rogue spotted them and tried to keep track of their movement but the eyes were moving much too fast and she was back to guessing, looking around for the hopes to glimpse the eyes again. "I know where you are, so no use in trying to hide yourself." Obviously a lie, and Rogue cursed herself in the belatedness of it.  
  
"And do you now? Then vhy are you looking in the wrong direction?" A voice spoke out directly behind her, causing her to jump and spin with a swing of her fist that connected, sending the speaker of the voice down hard to the ground with a groan. Quickly Rogue scurried over to the flashlight, once taking possession of it, she pointed it towards where the person was on the ground. Wait a sec.... yellow eyes.... spoke English but with the heavy German accent... The light made it's way to the body revealing that it was Kurt.   
  
"Kurt! Oh my... Kurt... I'm sorry," Rogue hurried over to his side trying to help him up, "I... I didn't mean to, I just... reflex, that's all."  
  
Kurt shook his head, trying to get the cobwebs out from the hit he took. "It's okay, I'll be fine." He took Rogue's hand and got back to his feet. "So I take it zhe rest of zhe X-men are around here somewhere? Guess my hiding job didn't do so well." With a leap of agility, Kurt grabbed hold of a nearby branch and tossed himself into the trees.  
  
"No Kurt, wait!" Rogue called after him, "there isn't anybody else, I'm the only one here."   
  
This caught Kurt's attention. He stopped from his trees and turned. "Of all the people vhy are you here? and vhy are you alone? vhy come all the way out here?"  
  
"I... I don't know myself actually," Rogue caught herself in confusion. That's a question that even she herself didn't have an answer to. "Look, I came out here all the way by myself because I knew that the others would just screw things up. I figured you were out here from this," she reached into her bag and pulled out the tabloid, tossing it onto the ground at the base of the tree that Kurt was in. He dropped with amazing grace and agility and looked at the paper.   
  
"You came after me all this vay just because of a phony newspaper?"  
  
Rogue blushed lightly inside of herself at the stupidity of the idea, "Yeah... but it was the only thing that any of us had to go on."  
  
"So then why should I know that the others aren't following you?"  
  
"Because I left in the middle of the night without telling them. Heck, I never even showed any of them the article to think over. I just took off." Rogue started to realize the voice of caring in her when speaking to Kurt. Well not fully caring, but coming much closer than she ever had before to anyone or anything else. "Look, I came out here all by myself because I knew that all the others would just bumble things up. They already have because they don't know what you are going through right now, at least I know...." She shut herself off quickly. She was always so bundled up over herself and just now look at her, just blurbing away, not even thinking about the words that were coming out of her mouth, she was just saying them.   
  
"Know what?"  
  
"I know so perfectly what it feels like to be the outcast, and I'm taking it that's what you are going through right now. It's why you left."  
  
"I left because I was only causing trouble for me and trouble for the other's by my being in New York." Kurt turned his back, leaping back up into the trees, the newspaper still in his hands. "Professor Xavier is a wonderful man with a wonderful dream, but that's a dream that can only be brought about by and for humans, something of which I am not."  
  
"You listen here fuzz boy, I did not come out here, half way around the world, just to hear you sulk and groan over yourself."  
  
"But do you not find it true? Look at me, I am not human, I am nothing! There is nothing in the world like me! I am a complete and total freak, and there is no other way to say it."  
  
"Look at all of us, we're all freaks," Rogue shot back, even though it did hurt herself a little to admit to it. But in the essence of the word, yes all the mutants of the world were exactly freaks.  
  
"But you're a human vith powers. You all are, nothing like I am. Do you have skin? do you have five fingers and toes? do your eyes glow in the dark? are they of a bright yellow color, larger than normal humans eyes should be? Do you have blue fur that covers your body? Do you valk upstraight like humans are supposed to?"  
  
"Do you think that I believe myself to be a human, fuzz boy?!" Rogue shot back. She had traveled all this way just to get put down by him, making her entire pilgrimage nothing but a gigantic waste of time. "Aren't humans supposed to be able to touch one another?! Aren't they allowed to possibly now how it feels to have another's arms around them and to be able to interact with them? What happens if I'm in the hallways of school and I bump into someone? They pass out like it was nothing. Do you find that to be human yourself?"  
  
"Do you zink that I know vhat it'z like to have someone's arms around me. You know full vell dat such a thing can't happen to me as vell. One touch from anyone and they would know of my secret underneath my inhancer. Besides vhich, look at me. I am a demon, a monster, I am not human. Vhy would anyone vant to put their arms around me and care for me? Certainly not my mother, whomever she is."  
  
"Look at me, I look perfect human don't I?" Rogue shot back, her anger still with her, "my mother still left me as well and I know didn't love me. It's not your looks, it happens to everyone. Besides which, there are people out there who actually care for you Kurt, they actually do love you."  
  
"Ja? Like whom? Those villagers whom have been coming after me nightly?"  
  
"Like the Professor, like Scott, like the other students at the school."  
  
"I was a student, it vas more of a watching than a love."  
  
"Then you certainly haven't seen what has happened at the school since you're departure. No one is themselves, it's nothing but a large building of dark and gloomy people, wondering the house in a melancholy cycle of days now." Rogue was just fed up with Kurt, she felt like she should smack him if he wasn't up in the tree. "Everyday Scott is off trying to find out where you went off to, I'm sure he is still searching aimlessly. I don't think that Kitty has had a moment where she was dry-eyed since you took off from school, she just keeps going off on how this is all her fault or something like that."  
  
"Keety?" This certainly caught his attention, he turned again, staying in the tree but at least looking down face to face with Rogue, "But vhy vould she care? She just doesn't know vhat it is like to be the outcast of zhe outcasts."  
  
"I know I certainly know how you feel."  
  
"Oh, and how to do say that? You don't know how I feel."  
  
Rogue reached into her bag and pulled out the red notebook, tossing it onto the ground at the base of the tree, much like she did with the paper. "I stole it from Scott's room right before I ran off to the airport. I know how you feel, not being able to really communicate your feelings to anyone. I've been like that for my whole life, even long before I was ever discovered as a mutant. My mutation shouldn't be a big surprise for me, I've been such an outcast and a freak my whole life."  
  
"But you don't look like I do, you can get avay vith being human."  
  
"They still put me down, they still treat me just as low as if you were to walk into class as the blue fuzz ball you are. Everyone puts me down, even the people at the institute, they think lower of me. How am I supposed to feel like anything when the one place I can go to feel even with everyone else still shoots me down and looks down at me. I read you're times when you believe the others can't bare the sight of you because you're blue and walk funny. I know they look down at me like that, and it has nothing to do with my yellow eyes, or tail, or odd shaped feet because I don't have any of that."  
  
"So then vhy do you care?"  
  
"You are making way too much out of this humanity business. You are nothing more than a regular outcast which is how life works. But you know what, we are all outcasts, it's not like you are anything that no one has seen anymore. You ain't a freak, you just different and miss viewed. But there are others everywhere like that, like me."  
  
"A freak I am and I shall alvays be. When I came to zhe institute I vas able to try and hide myself behind a computer, but I've realize zhat truly I am a freak and zhat is my reality." Kurt turned his back again ready to take off into the forest's night, but he sighed. This was someone whom he had trusted and he just couldn't leave her like this. "Come and follow, I have a place vhere you can get back to sleep and eat some, but avay in safety."   
  
Rogue followed Kurt through the pitch blackness of the forest, dodging between trees for minutes, with Rogue on the ground and Kurt making his way spectacularly through the trees with such speed and agility that must be unmatched. After a while they finally came to a clump of trees that grew very tightly packed in-between each other with the branches of all the trees mixing and mingling with each other. It made for a perfect shelter, the branches making it almost impossible to see through from the ground, yet they were sturdy enough for them to hold up people whom were up in them and walking around. Rogue took in a quick gasp at just how perfect of a retreat this was for the "Black Forest Demon."  
  
"Wow, this place is amazing," Rogue gave credit to Kurt for finding such a place. "It's such a perfect place to hide yourself. But how am I to get in there? I can't teleport to the other side of the branches."  
  
"You don't need to, zhere's a small opening on the other side you can climb up," Kurt showed her, climbing up it himself.   
  
"Why should you need it though? Why not just port in there?"  
  
"Because I don't use my powers at all."  
  
"And why is that? You have them, it may be a curse to have them, but why not use them if you've got 'em?"  
  
"All it vill take is just one teleport and zhat vould set of the computer at the institute and zhey vould be here in a moment's notice," Kurt explained finally making it to the top of the shelter above in the trees. He turned and offered a hand to try and help Rogue get up into the shelter as well. "I just vant to be left alone and not bother vith zhem any more. I've caused zhem nozhing but trouble and it's just for the best. Plus, I'd rather try to zhink of myself as more of a freak and not a mutant. It sounds more like a cover-up, at least I can admit to vhat I am."  
  
"But then why run back here to Germany? Why come back to where this whole thing started, to where your mother left you and were you rejected by your people?"  
  
"Because I'm home here, I survived like this for years before Xavier ever showed his face to me. Plus, I've run to zhese voods before, and I know zhem vell. Zhey have a very mysterious aura to zhem and can possibly be vhere a demon can make a living. It's easy enough to just scare off any few people whom seek trouble."  
  
"A demon?" Rogue seemed a little shocked, "but why call yourself one? I thought you were a man of God, one whom was against demons and would fight them off?"  
  
Kurt gave a laugh, "Just look at me, I am a demon and zhere is nothing else you can say about it. I look like a giant cat creature, everyone said so, even Keety."  
  
Rogue was about to continue their conversation when they were cut off by the sound of voices a little ways off in the distance. There was a group of people shouting in great anger, although Rogue couldn't tell what they were saying because of the German they were shouting it in, but she could easily pick out the rage in their voices. Kurt's ears instinctively shot up and he rushed to the edge of the shelter and looked out, listening intently to the voices come. "Oh no...." fear could be picked out from his voice. "They must have been following your tracks on the ground, they've found me." Rogue could see the hair all over Kurt's body raise up in anticipation of what was to come. Before Kurt could always just scare a few away and if any trouble came he could just take off into the woods and disappear for a while. But Rogue was here, Rogue was in the shelter which was exactly where the mob was coming towards following her tracks. Never could they follow his tracks since he moved through the trees.  
  
"Oh god...." Rogue froze as well. "Kurt... I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean for them to come after you. I didn't, honestly!" She looked over his shoulder, seeing the lights from flashlights coming towards their shelter. At the front of the pack was the man whom Rogue had earlier ran into, the one who woke her up from her sleep along the path in the forest. He held onto two dogs, that were sniffing out the ground and following the direct path she took. "Kurt, take off. Get out of here and save yourself, they're just tracking me not you. If you teleport out of here you can get far clear of them and off to safety." Kurt didn't budge, he just kept frozen, watching the mob coming closer to them from the darkness of the night. "Com'on Kurt, get going. Teleport, do whatever you do, just get the heck out of here."  
  
"No, I do not use my powers," Kurt more or less mumbled this to himself than speaking in reply to Rogue.  
  
"Kurt you have no choice! Get out of here!"  
  
"No! There is another way." Kurt turned quickly to her. "They are after me, not you. Zhis has nozhing to do vith you. Once I draw zhem clear of here, get out of here yourself and get back to New York."  
  
"Kurt wait! That's too dangerous!" Rogue tried pleading with him, but it was too late, he'd already made his way to the edge of the shelter and leaped out onto another tree nearby. Rogue could hear the mob explode into even more shouting and finger pointing to the demon near-by. "Kurt!" She tried desperately again but to no avail.  
  
"Get out of here Rogue!" Kurt called back watching the mob down below him. More screaming came from the mob below, shouting in German and pointing at the evil in the trees. Suddenly a gun shot rang out, soaring the bullet towards Kurt that just missed him over his left shoulder. "Mein Gott!" he cried, "zhey are really after me zhis time." Kurt jumped to another tree, just barely dodging another bullet fired by the crowd. It had become a game of dodgeball with life or death implications on it. "Rogue, I've got zhem busy, get zhe heck out of zhere! Make a run for it!" Kurt screamed for her to make her escape jumping from one tree branch to another with his grace and agility. Another gun shot rang out and the bullet this time found it's mark and struck Kurt to the upper chest, a little to the left of his center. The force of the blast knocked him so hard that the course he was taking in mid-air was changed immediately, sending him soaring to the ground, landing with a sickening thud onto the ground below. A roar went up from the crowd.  
  
Rogue could not believe what she was just witnessing. "Oh my god no! NO! KURT!!!"  
  
*************** 


	5. A Nightmare's Dawn

  
Rogue instantly took hold of one of the branches and dropped her way to the ground, landing a little roughly but it didn't matter to her. In a rush she hurried to Kurt's side, tears starting to swell up into her eyes, blurring her vision and distorting the thoughts in her mind. "Kurt... oh Kurt....!" She could see the spot at which the bullet had penetrated into him, blood started to ooze out onto his blue fur, darkening the color as it began to migrate across his chest. Rogue took her hand and slapped it lightly across Kurt's face trying to get a response of any kind. Her other hand on Kurt's wrist trying to find a pulse of any kind. Kurt mumbled softly something in German, at least she thought it was German, that's just how badly it was mumbled and disoriented. "Com'on Kurt, hang in there," Rogue pleaded with him, trying to keep him alive. "I didn't come all the way out here just to bring back horrible news."  
  
The crowd behind Rogue stopped and quieted in almost fear of what she was doing. She was a normal human, at least she looked human, she spoke human, but why was she helping this hideous monster of thing. They could hear her sobs and even see the twinkle of the lights hitting her tears that continued to run down her cheek. One of them from the crowd finally broke the silence, calling out to Rogue in German to back away from the monster, however she couldn't understand one bit of it. Again he called for her to back away but she didn't not understand, let alone listen, let alone follow such orders and abandon the wounded demon.  
  
"Kurt... Kurt... listen to me," Rogue continued to desperately plead to her fallen comrade, "com'on you can't leave me like this. Their coming now, their coming to finish you off, listen to me... I won't let this happen." Rogue sat up for a moment from her crouched position over Kurt's fallen body to see the crowd closing in slowly, the gun pointed at Kurt to make sure that he wouldn't survive. Rogue turned back and looked down deep at the fallen monster still mumbled incoherently. He was a monster, he didn't look human, he didn't feel human, he just wasn't human. Then why could he think, why could he make so many people laugh so much like when he was at the institute? Why under the guise of the image enhance did he become human? Why was she caring so much, crying so much, over Kurt's fallen body? "Listen Kurt, and listen to me good. I know you can, I know you're still in there. I am going to touch you, and I need you to be thinking and concentration on your German language. I need to take it from you, I need to be able to word off the mob. Kurt... did you hear me? Kurt! Com'on, I need you right now, don't go off on me." Rogue thought twice about what she was to do in a moment. What would happen if she took all the energy that Kurt had left, and what little he still had, he could die from what Rogue was to do, but what other choice did she have? Kurt would most certainly die from just the wounds that he had now, let alone that there was an enraged mob that was arriving in any second to finish the job. "Well... here goes nothing. Pray to your God Kurt, we'll need all the help we can get."  
  
Rogue reached onto Kurt's cheek, feeling the soft, fuzzy fur that he had always kept hidden under his image inhancer, how curiously comforting it was to feel in her hand. In a quick flash of light she was hit with a wave of thoughts and memories, abilities and secrets that had been locked away in the mind of the monster of the forest. She was instantly hit with the torture that his life had been and the fear he had always had of being discovered as a freak, a monster, a demon. The sound of the mob's cries, sucked Rogue back into reality, bringing the instant thought of German to her head. Quickly she turned to the crowd, staying between them and Kurt's body to protect it from the mob.   
  
"Back off!" Rogue turned and shouted in sudden hatred and rage towards the mob in German. Shocked by her sudden commanding voice in a tongue that they could understand, they stopped dead in their tracks, however just a few feet from where Rogue stayed protecting the fallen monster. The tears continued to flood out of Rogue's eyes which she wiped away in disgust, only fueling her anger towards the mob even more.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" a woman from the crowd called back to her, Rogue now fully understanding with her new ability to speak the language from Kurt. "Get away from it, it's nothing but a monster."  
  
"He is not a monster, he is not a demon, he is a human being! Now leave him alone, he hasn't done any harm to any of you," Rogue called back. Just took a glance back to Kurt to make sure that he was still hanging in there. Kurt was now even more weaker from Rogue's touch and the even more constant loss of blood. Time was certainly running out unless something drastic were to happen. She turned back and whispered to Kurt, trying to keep him alert and awake, "Com'on Kurt, you can't give up now... com'on don't go out on me."  
  
"It's not a human, it's a monster!" Cried someone from the crowd.  
  
"How can you call something like that a human? It's a demon!" Another yelled out.  
  
"It'll be the end of us all if we don't kill him now!" Cried the man in the front with the hunting dogs.  
  
"He is not a demon! He is a human," Rogue tried to plead with them again, although she was obviously not getting anywhere, not getting through to them.  
  
"How can you call that thing he human. Look at the evil in his eyes, look at the tail, it looks like one of Satan and his minions. Look at the fur, look at the ears. It's nothing more than a monster sent by the devil!"  
  
"But he can think, he can speak, he can care and love, does that not make him human to your eyes?" Rogue's tears began to stop up for the moment, her mind so concentrated on denying the mob their kill that she didn't even realize it at the moment. "He is nothing more than a mutant, and mutants are still humans, we were born of humans, and we live as humans. I too am a mutant, but do you find me to be a demon? a spawn of the devil? Would you take firearms out on me?"  
  
"He's haunted the forest now, he's chased away travelers passing through here," the woman from before cried out, she like the rest of them still in the mode for bloodlust. "He has made a pact with the devil to use it's demonic powers to cause us harm."  
  
"Has he done any harm to any of you?" Rogue demanded, the rage in her swelling up again. "Has he ever laid a hand, let alone a finger onto you?" The mob all began to exchange glances at each other, a little uncertain now. Sure the monster had shown up and scared people away, however he had never really damaged anyone, he had never chased them down the path and threatened their lives. "He doesn't mean any harm, he is just a human, one that would not wish to do any damage to any other of his kind."  
  
"He is a demon, he will come back and do such damage for sure," the man yelled.  
  
"He is dying!" Rogue screamed back at him, her rage was now fully in control over her mind and body. She felt like striking him, but stayed back to keep the mob away from Kurt. "If he was a demon with Satan's powers do you think that he would be here with blood gushing out of him? Do you think he'd be here lying on the ground barely holding onto a string of life?" With her still gloved hand, Rogue allowed some of the blood coming from Kurt's wound onto her hand, it's color still a bright red. "Look at the blood, it's the same type and color that would come from you or me? Mutant or not, he is still human, he isn't a demon! He is going to die!"  
  
The crowd quieted suddenly, the girl was right. The monster had red blood, the monster was probably dying with just that one shot any ways, he was not getting up. Should a demon die? Can a demon die? They had no idea, they had never battled such a thing. They only knew of it's existence from old folk tales and stories from generations long past. "But how do we know for sure?" someone called out, almost in disbelief.  
  
"He's dying and none of you are helping!" Rogue just screamed in disgust, "You are all murder's of a fellow man unless you help! Isn't anyone a doctor or something here?" Rogue looked to the crowd, most turned their heads as to not look directly at her with eye contact. She just gave a sigh of disgust, there wasn't anything more she could do, Kurt was doomed.  
  
A man from the crowd stepped forward, "I am a doctor, however I don't know what I can do. I don't know him and what his mutation can do to the medicines."  
  
Rogue turned to him, seeing him looking over Kurt's injuries, he was certainly on the edge of death. "Then let me do it. When I touch you, I can steal all your thought and memories, including all your medical knowledge. I can try and use that to help Kurt with what I know about being a mutant. It's the only chance we have."  
  
The man took a moment to think of it, but took a final glance at Kurt and rolled up his sleeve and extended it to her, "Take it."   
  
With a nod of thank you, Rogue reached over with her bare hand and grabs the man's wrist, another shock wave of thoughts and memories flooded her brain in a rush. The man gave a final soft groan and fell the to ground in a blackened out state. Rogue was getting confused and weak herself, now she had two people's thoughts rushing through her, plus her own, it was taking heavy work. "Don't worry about him, he's just past out," Rogue called to the crowd, knowing they'll be shocked, "he'll wake up in a little while and be perfectly normal."  
  
Now with her medical knowledge, Rogue looked to Kurt and began to examine his would, the bullet hole still gushing blood that was staining his chest. "Com'on Kurt, keep hanging on, we've got some help to try now." With a glance back to the man's fallen body, she took from him a small leather bag he carried always, filled with clothes and bottles of pills and ointments that she could use. She opened one of the ointment bottles and spilled some of the liquid onto one of the clothes, placing it gentle over Kurt's wound. Kurt howled suddenly in pain from the effect of the medicine getting into his wound, "I'm sorry Kurt, I know it hurts but it's the only thing right now that can help." She wiped the cloth again over his wound, cleaning out the blood that was coming from it, as well as getting the blood to stop. She continued this process again, the blood stopping and healing with each time. The pain of Kurt's wound being clean had woken him up from his dull state, having him be alert from the shock of it. "Com'on Kurt, keep with me, the wound looks like its starting to heal a little. I think this stuff is working."  
  
Kurt gave a moan of pain from the medicine cleaning out the blood, "I... I'm trying..." he was still very weak, but now alert to the situation around him.  
  
Rogue turned to the crowd behind her, looking to them for all the help she could get. "Com'on, I need your help! We have to get him back to town, get him more medicine. Please, his life is hanging in your hands." Again the mob looked around at each other in disbelief, not knowing what to do. "Please!" Rogue begged again, "There is no time!" A large and bulky man from the back pushed his way forward and gave a nod to her. With no words spoken, he got his arms around Kurt's back and lifted him in a cradling position and started to make his way back towards the town.  
  
Rogue gave a sigh of finally letting down for the moment, a small smile creeped across her lips. Two other men from the crowd came over and helped carry the doctor who was still out cold. The whole crowd was now moving back to the town in a silent fashion, not a word spoken between anyone, but an understanding achieved by all.  
  
*****  
  
The dawn from that awful night finally rose and the day went on in the town, almost without any change what so ever. The doctor whom sacrificed himself to Rogue's touch was back and alert for the most part although still a little groggy, but awake enough to go about his business. Inside his own home however Kurt lay past and bandaged up in one of the beds, still very weak and in lots of pain, however he was going to live. It would certainly be a long and slow road to recovery, but the blood had stopped and the wound cleaned in time so that no infections could penetrate. For most of the day Rogue merely wondered around the town by herself like normal. She had lost her ability to speak German with the passing of time and wasn't able to understand what the people around her were saying. She did keep a close eye's watch over Kurt to make sure that everything was going smoothly and that nothing drastic or tragic would happen.   
  
As the day passed, Rogue looked into her bag of things to try and occupy her mind from the numbness of boredom. She read through the article about the "Black Forest Demon" over and over again, now having lived it. Finally she picked up her German-English dictionary again, and started to go through more of Kurt's red notebook, just something to keep her mind busy. She'd gone through most of it as it was and Kurt knew, it wouldn't hurt to just go through a little more, it might help her in trying to get Kurt back to the institute once this was all finished.  
  
January 12  
  
The snow is outside falling and it just hurts me almost with the coldness and purity that comes with the change of weather. As cold as I always feel normally, the winter is most certainly not helping me in any of my situation. Please do not get me wrong, I am very grateful to the professor and to everyone here, especially my friends and teammates for at least taking me in and allowing me to at least attempt a real life. It's just that I can't help but feel the snow of purity almost burn into my skin from when it lands on me. I enjoy my friends and I enjoy living this life here in Bayville, but I really know that it's nothing more than a fake of a life.   
  
Why can't people just accept me for who I am and not care? I guess it's because of my differences and freakiness in just appearance. I try to be human, I truly do. I despise these powers sometimes, I try to use less and less of them to bring myself back to humanity but no one has ever thought me as that. I wish to think that my parents didn't want to give me up, that they really loved me and had to do this all the better of me, but deep inside I know that's not true. I know they must have dumped me off just to get rid of their freak. Even my friends here, I can tell that there is always a sort of shyness and fear in them when I am around them, just for their knowledge of what I really look like. I enjoy them so very much, and it's nice to be so joyful and always joking around with them, but it's just something that I can do to try and make them forget what I really am, to try and get them to accept and befriend me for what I really am. Maybe even love me for being this freak that I am, although I know that I am asking for too much.  
  
It's just so hard having to live behind a mask of jokes and pranks and image inhancers, but I can't allow the others to know just how I feel, it'll only make things worse. They look to me as sort of a picker-upper of a person to help them when they are down, just imagine if they found out how apathetic I am myself. Then my freakiness would really come into the lime light and I might loose even the tiniest of respect they have for me past my hideous shell. I wish that someone out there could help me, but I know that's impossible. No one is like me and knows my troubles, and even if I did ask anyone else they'd just give me a quick and falsely optimistic answer just to get rid of me faster and not look at my grotesque appearance. So it appears that I am stuck speaking this all to you, sorry you have to live with nothing but sorrow of my condemned self.   
  
Well Jean just past by telling me that dinner is on so I have to end my writing here and be of. Thank you for at least listening.  
  
  
Rogue gave a gasp at just the personal thoughts and believes that Kurt had always kept hidden inside of him. Even after his entire disappearance episode, she still could not get over that these words were Kurt's. He was always so bright, so cheer, so willing to help others, but he was right. He had blue fur, fangs, a tail, yellow eyes, like something out of a horror move that prays on people's fears. She gave another glance into the room where Kurt slept peacefully, finally getting some rest after all the physical pain he'd taken just the night before. Rogue herself gave a deep yawn and quietly curled up on a couch that was in the doctor's home, just outside of Kurt's room. She carefully placed the red book back in her bag and closed her eyes. It had been a while since she had a descent's night sleep and fatigue had finally caught up with her and drifted her off to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Rogue was stirred awake hours later, the sun had gone down and lights from lamps and bulbs had replaced it's light. The doctor stood over her, shaking her awake on the shoulder, although making sure that he wasn't getting a hold of her skin at all, learning his lesson from before. Rogue rubbed her eyes in a blur, hearing the doctor saying something to her, but she had lost her German and couldn't understand a word he was saying. In a final effort, he took her gloved hand and started to lead her out of the house, which Rogue was too tired to try and go against. The doctor opened the door and took her around a corner which showed... the X-Men blackbird with Xavier, Ororo, Kitty, and Scott unloading themselves from it's insides.  
  
"Professor!" Rogue was shocked and amazed at how they were able to pinpoint her exact location so quickly. She had only been gone a few days or so, but there they were, the professor and other's from the institution. "But... how... how did you know where to come?"  
  
"Cerebro detected your use of mutant powers last night in the forest around here," Scott answered, looking around at the village behind her. "Did you find Kurt? Is he alright?"  
  
"Kurt umm...." Rogue bit her lip, "let me at least say that he is going to live, positive of that, however he is in really bad shape. I don't know what's really wrong with him, but he's in the doctor's home resting as best he can."  
  
"What happened to him?" Ororo couldn't help but wonder, tapping into her motherly side that she had gained watching over the younger mutants at the institute.  
  
"It's... it's a long story," Rogue just couldn't get out all the details at the moment.  
  
"You still shouldn't have gone off alone like that," the Professor scolded her. It was a stupid thing to do, just to take off like that without warning and without any mention of her whereabouts, but it was necessary. She knew that no matter what trouble she would get into that she did the right thing, whether Xavier would accept it or not. This was something that only she could do to try and help out a fellow outcast of the outcasts, whether or not they openly admit to it or not. Perhaps they would never understand, but it didn't matter now.  
  
*****  
  
Rogue stood just outside Kurt's room listening in to what the others had to say to him, to make sure that he was alright and that he could make the trip in the Blackbird back to the institute where he could rest fully. So many questions they were throwing at him, why he left, what happened while he was gone, why back to Germany, what happened to cause him the injuries. Rogue just shook them off. Such stupid questions, they would never understand. Although if she were on their side, she might as well have been wondering the same questions, but that didn't matter to her.   
  
"We'll go get the cart from Blackbird and we can get you on that," the professor spoke, "it will be easier to wheel you in on that. I don't want you to do any physical activity of any kind for a while. You are still very badly damaged."  
  
"Danke professor," Kurt replied.   
  
Xavier, Ororo and Scott all filed out of the room and made their way past Rogue, at least acknowledging her presence but not speaking. Who knew what she was thinking, it was always a mystery to them. Always the way it was, the way the outcasts keep to themselves, thoughts included. Rogue turned to go back into the room and just check up on Kurt, but stopped forgetting that Kitty hadn't come out with the others. Kitty was sitting on a chair directly next to Kurt's bed, a firm hold on his three-fingered hand, she trying to hold back the tears.  
  
"I'm sorry Kurt, I didn't mean for this to happen," Kitty sobbed, now almost tears of joy that she knew Kurt was back and alive, "I didn't mean to chase you away, I had no intention of that. I never have."  
  
"Zhat's alright Keety," Kurt mumbled, he was still quite weak and just getting his voice out was a struggle. "It's nozhing zhat you have done, it's... it's just something zhat I've been fighting inside of me for a vhile now."  
  
"Just know that I've never thought of you as anything less than what you are," Kitty sighed, just her emotions overwhelming her. "Sure seeing you as this blue demon takes some getting used to, but once past that, you're just the same Kurt that you would be if you weren't a mutant. You are just like the rest of us, and you are just as human as the rest of us at heart." Kitty offered a smile that she forced herself to have through the tears that started to escape out of her eyes. She sunk her head into Kurt's stomach, trying to hide her tears, "I just figured that you left because of what I'd said. Blue, purple, green, fuzzy or not, you're still the same elf to us both inside and out."  
  
Rogue couldn't help but uncharacteristically smile at the scene. Such a brat Kitty was, always so optimistic, always so perky and full of life, but always so kind and willing to see through people. Even if those people are fuzzy with cat's eyes, even if they are a freak. She could see through to find out just how much they weren't freaks inside. Things would work out for Kurt. Maybe the people around him did see through his appearance more than he thought, or at least they might now. Kurt will make it, he'll be alright.  
  
  
.... and so the tale ends  
  
  



End file.
